Common Flower
by Heather Giesbrecht
Summary: One thing Gimli had learned ? Jotunheim flowers didn't have cheery sounding names. Even if they, supposedly, did the stories behind them were terrible. Gimli/Loki. Chapter 2 - Common Feast posted. Complete. Part four of the Common Series.
1. Common Flower

**Common Flower**

Gimli with Loki, Father and Sam descended the steps into a cold storage cellar which was just cold enough to see your breath. A light frost covered the rough, sconce-embedded walls and snow covered the floor. It was like entering a different world as twenty feet above them was the dull rumble, and heat, of the smithy. Light-emerald, cold, fire blazed in the silver sconces around the cavern causing veins of silver to glimmer.

The first flower that came into sight was a white flowering vine which threaded through the cracks and curled around stalactites. Said vine's flowers were white and streaked with dark-sapphire, it also had broad, scale covered petals.

Sam gasped, "Oh wow ! I ain't seen a flower like that before. What's it called in the Common Tongue, Mr. Loki ?"

"It is called the Hatchling Vine, Samwise. Once a mighty bear was foraging for food near a dragon's nest. The bear was starving, heard the hatchlings cries and attacked them. Before it could eat one, the bear found itself rushed by the mother dragon who crushed its skull in one bite. All of her hatchlings were there, but one, the hatchling who had tried to escape. That hatchling fell onto the vine staining it with streaks of blood...where it died of a broken back nuzzled by its mother."

"Never thought I'd want to cuddle a dragon, but that poor baby."

He definitely was not tearing up, he was just walking over to check on a cask of light lager he wanted to use for tonight's feast. So that everyone could finally experience the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves he'd invited Legolas, Aragorn and Gandalf as well early last week. When they'd left the others behind Frodo, Legolas and Gandalf were browsing the library, while Aragorn, Merry and Pippin were trying some pranks, which Loki had put them up to, on the children.

Father tapped the cask and chuckled, "He's still good at telling stories I see. Young Sam's right I've never seen these flowers before either. What's that one there ?" Asked while pointing to a dark-sapphire flower speckled with silver that had a few stamens poking out of it...like fangs.

Gimli couldn't remember, "That's, uh...Loki, what's the mainly blue one ? The one with the teeth."

Loki, who was helping Sam examine the lowest laying Hatchling Vine, looked up with a bright smile. "Blood Fang, dear Gimli, it is Blood Fang."

"Cheery name, eh, son ?"

"From what I've seen Jotunheim ain't a cheery place most days."

More laughter from Father, "I'd say you stole the only cheer they ever had, but you didn't steal him."

Sam suddenly exclaimed, "I know that flower ! It's a common flower in the Shire, well, actually it's a weed there. We call it the Frost Weed because it was first noticed, and multiplied, during the winter then died during the spring. Always thought that was rather odd of it. I mean, it's not like it knows what season it is."

Loki wondered, "Did it ever do this ?"

With a snap of his fingers, Loki doused the sconce fires and summoned a larger flame into his joined palms. The concentrated light causing all the flowers and vines to start glowing. Loki's eyes were the second most noticeable thing in the room as the ruby hue also seemed to glow in the darkness.

Sam sounded awed, "No, Mr. Loki, sir, they certainly didn't. I could've used some of these in that lair, indeed, I could have. Too bad I didn't know what they were then."

A crashing and thumping on the stairs before his cousin Borin Balinson's voice called, "Who put out the sconces ? Bloody scoundrels the lot of ya."

Even in the darkness he knew Loki would have a, quickly hidden, sheepish look on his face as he re-kindled the cold fires. Loki murmured, "My apologies, Borin, I did not know you were coming down here as well."

The other, slightly darker, auburn-haired dwarf answered, "O' course I'm comin' down here ! I need to get the lager, the feast's starting in two hours. Forget your own feasts, aie. Will you forget your own breath next, Gimli ?"

"Not yet, I haven't."

Knowing Loki as he did, he guessed there would be, at least, one prank pulled. He just wondered what it would be this time. Father, Loki, Sam and himself left the cellar to get ready.


	2. Common Feast

**Common Feast**

This time it was Gimli sat on their bed and Loki knelt while helping him comb out his beard. He still remembered the day that Grandfather Groin had put them in, which was just two days before Grandfather had died. Shook his head as he remembered how reluctant he'd been to have his hair tamed.

At least, he'd been lucky enough to know his grandfather for a short while. Loki's grandfather, Bergelmir, had died protecting his daughter-in-law Frabauti from a bear when she was birthing Loki. In response, until Frabauti said otherwise, Laufey had tried to blame Loki for Bergelmir's death as if Loki'd had a choice of when he wanted to be born.

Loki frowned, "Is something wrong, love ?"

Gimli replied, "Not really." as he leaned up, pressing a kiss to the light-blue lips.

Then Loki's eyes flicked to the bedroom door and his followed suit. Yes, half a year later, they still wondered if Frabauti would barge in like when they'd met in Jotunheim.

**Flashback**

Hands reached up and ran through his hair as laughter vibrated against his lips. "You look like a little bear, Gimli ! A very oddly coloured and fluffy bear, yes, but still a bear."

He rolled his eyes and smiled faintly as he raised them to look about the carven ice and stone room. Gimli replied, "Yeah. Well, let's see what do you look like ? Oh, I know if they existed you'd be an...albino elf, but you're still more gorgeous than one of them ever could be."

It was still odd for him to slid a hand down Loki's chest expecting to feel hair and finding nothing. What next amused him as his eyes turned back to the jotun ? Everything about Loki was blue, except for his hair and his nails, absolutely everything.

One hand trailed down his back, then with a loud bang the bedroom door flew open. A seven foot tall, female jotun with wavy black-hair rushed in.

She stopped at seeing them and said, "At least, it actually is you this time, Loki, not Saer and one of her lovers."

When he was younger, Loki wouldn't have been a choice of his. Since he was practically hairless, but was Loki really so attractive for the Jotnar to want to have sex in his bed ? Well, try to do so ? A giant white-fur blanket was placed over his back as he suspected it was Loki's mother.

That suspicion was confirmed when Loki asked, "This time, Mother ? Was it Sigr or Hilde ?"

"Sigr. So, Stranger, who are you to my little Loki ?"

At those words, Loki blushed dark-blue and he laughed as Loki exclaimed, "Mother ! I am not that little any more."

"You are my youngest and the smallest jotun this family has seen in years. So, yes, you are still little. My dear Loki, I am just glad he is far closer to your height than most of the males here."

After he had erased the awkward picture from his mind of Loki and some nearly nine foot tall jotun he, even more awkwardly, introduced himself.

"Good morn-, err, night, Your Majesty. I am Gimli son of Gloin at your service."

She didn't seem to notice the circumstances and smiled brightly. Then she introduced herself as, "Queen Frabauti Skaoidaughter. However, you young Gimli may call me Frabauti. If the guards try to force you out on Laufey's orders tell them that I will, personally, throw them in the dungeon if they obey it. Laufey may not like it, but you are family now."

**End Flashback**

Loki nodded and then asked sheepishly, "Did I remember to tell you that Gandalf was bringing my mother as his date ?"

Gimli ran a hand over his bronze-breastplate and felt his eyebrows rise. "No, you didn't. Still considering there won't be a blood-bath at the table I will take Frabauti over Laufey any day. Hehe, Frabauti over Laufey."

He slid off the bed before watching the jotun belt the dwarven made dagger, he'd given it to Loki for their first anniversary, onto the white kilt then step off the bed. A short time later they were walking into the light-brown stoned, high-vaulted, dining hall. The ornately carved and claw-footed, grey-stone table was long enough for all two hundred fifty dwarves, plus a hundred others. Lanterns lit with emerald-fire hung from the ceiling and a giant fire place also blazed with it.

By the head of the table would be Father, Borin and Borin's family, along with the remaining Fellowship and Frabauti. One thing he didn't like about official feasts was the need for a speech no matter how short. Father and everyone else close enough smiled reassuringly as he and Loki stood in front of their seats.

When he cleared his throat everyone fell silent before all eyes turned to him. A hand wrapped around his as he took a deep breath and said, "Everyone knows I'm not very good at speeches still, so this'll be short. When the Fellowship and I were in Moria I told my friends, yes, even the Elf-" There a few snickers and chuckles as the blond elf smiled. "that they would experience our hospitality. Tonight's feast is for them and Her Majesty Frabauti of Jotunheim who have never had the good fortune to taste our food and drink. I challenge the Lord of Ithilien to prove that his prissy Elves can make a feast that can even dream of approaching this in magnificence...and tastes good. Right, Father ?"

Father chuckled, "Yes, as long as it's not all rabbit food I'll be happy. What says Lord Legolas to this ?"

The silver-clad elf rose from his chair which was diagonal from Loki's. "I say, that next week my 'prissy' Elves will make a feast the likes of which your arrogant hoarders have never seen, glitter beard."

Gimli finished his speech with, "Good then prepare to be soundly defeated, ya rabbit. Now, let the feast begin !"

Ripples of laughter as he, Loki and Legolas sat down. Father called, "I'll say that's far better than your first speech. All it consisted of was: Opal, opal, opal, oh blah blah." which resulted in more chuckles.

The meat was brought out and put on the table first - honey, sage and garlic roasted chickens, braised beef shanks and freshly fried fish. Next was the mashed and/or boiled potatoes, which made Sam burst into sniggers for some reason, then the breads and such. Placed down last was the desserts - a bunch of cookies, cakes and pies.

This time the prank surprised even him. Borin cut into a piece of the nearest chicken causing snow-flakes and miniature fire-crackers to fly out to shower them in bronze, sapphire, emerald and ruby sparks, trees and flowers. Loki and Gandalf exchanged pleased smiles.

"Ahh !" Pippin screamed and ducked as a fire-cracker containing an ent burst out of his fish to stride around the hall checking on the trees.

Merry, "Look, Pippin, it's Treebeard !"

Frabauti called across to ask of Aragorn, "Does this happen every time ?"

Aragorn replied, "Only on the important days."

With all that happening, it was warily that he cut into the nearest beef shank. It shocked and delighted him to see that it contained an image of Grandfather who smiled at him and Father before fading into a red-golden shimmer. All in all with the tricks about ? This was a common feast day in the halls of the Glittering Caves.


End file.
